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Master Chief has now started to pick up the UNSC Infinity's signal, but it is reading from the interior of the planet. Cortana and John decide to find the mass transit system to reach the interior of the planet. They reach the interior to only find a satellite in the direct center of the planet. Cortana then realizes that it can be used to send a signal to Infinity to warn them about the gravity well, but two different energy pylons are scrambling the message. They then precede through a portal to the first pylon where they find various Prometheans guarding it. After defeating the enemies, they shut down the pylon, boosting both the signal and the ability to send the message. They then precede to the next pylon, only to find that Covenant cruisers have made their way inside and are fighting the Prometheans. The two shut down the second pylon and race to the satellite to send the message. They reach the controls and try to send the message, but instead release the Ur-Didact.

Cortana: "Some sort of advanced defense AI. Related to the Sentinels most likely but it's hard to say without a closer look."

Cortana: "C'mon let's try and figure out where that transit system dumped us."

John exits the hall onto a platform with a console on it, from which what appears to be the planet's core can seen in the distance.

Cortana: "Put me in the console."

John walks up and inserts Cortana's data chip into the console.

{Cutscene}

Cortana's avatar appears on the console and she looks around.

John-117: "Where's Infinity?"

Cortana: "This is Requiem's core alright, but Infinity is definitely not here. That satellite in the center is amplifying the ship's broadcasts like a relay."

John-117: "Maybe we can use it to respond."

Cortana: "Perhaps. Those beams coming off of it are creating the interference we've been experiencing, we'd have to take them out in order to contact Infinity."

John-117: "Can you get us there?"

​Cortana taps part of a holographic display.A portal opens.

Cortana: "Opening a gate to the first relay tower, pull me and let's go."

John removes Cortana's data chip and places it in his helmet.

{Gameplay}

John walks to his left and goes through the portal.

He emerges in some kind of tunnel.

John-117: "This is the first pylon?"

Cortana: "Negative. This is as close as I could get us. Hope you don't mind hoofing it a little."

John walks to the end of the tunnel and several blue- lit dog-like constructs scatter up the rock cliffs and out of sight.

Cortana: "Contacts!"

John walks on until he comes to a wide clearing. One of the constructs that had previously been in the clearing, with blue-lit spines, leaps over a rock and fires followed by others climbing down the walls.

John looks up as a one of the constructs from the Terminus pounces on him from above. Its face splits apart and reveals a glowing human skull. John punches the construct in the face and kicks himself away from it, The construct then snarls and folds its limbs inward, teleporting away.

{Gameplay}

Cortana: "Well he's just a ray of sunshine isn't he?"

Cortana: "From that peek under the hood I'd say these constructs must be mimetic in nature."

As John rounds the next bend several of the humanoid constructs can be seen teleporting along the ridgeline.

John-117: "More of them?"

Cortana: "Similar phasing activity at the edge of our sensors, we're about to get busy."

Cortana: "I just found out something interesting about our new friends, when the big ones explode that momentary flash we're seeing is actually a data purge."

John-117: "Can you tap into it?"

Cortana:"So far I've managed to pull several strands referring to the big ones as "Promethean Knights". Beyond that though things get a bit dense."

John moves through the a Forerunner tunnel and a series of rocky clearings encountering Promethean resistance on the way. He soon reaches a circular platform and a distorted video image of Captain Del Rio appears on the HUD.

Cortana: "The relay interference is increasing we must be close to the pylon."

John clears the area of Promethean forces and his HUD becomes distorted by static.

John-117: "What's that distortion?"

Cortana (troubled): "That's me… something about moving through those portals is increasing the load on my systems."

John-117: "You gonna be okay?"

Cortana: "Don't worry, I've held off rampancy this long haven't I?"

John proceeds up and behind a structure, then moves through another passageway and exits at the pylon structure.

Cortana: "That's the target but it looks like the entrance is shielded. We'll have to take it down."

When John finds the first core:

Cortana: "That looks like one of the shields power cores, take it out."

John destroys it.

Cortana: "I'm reading two more cores on our level, hit them before you climb all the way up."

Cortana: "Planet's Core? They know we're here! Infinity, this is UNSC AI Cortana do not approach forerunner planet. Repeat, do not approach-

Del Rio: "Where is the UNSC asset? Forward Unto Dawn, we read you but you're breaking up. Helm, increase speed by twenty-two get us in there!"

Cortana: "NEGATIVE Infinity! Do not approach the planet!

Del Rio: "If you can read us, keep transmitting."

Cortana: "No! Chief, You have to get that beam down now!

John grabs the handle and repeats the same cycle as the previous tower.

Cortana: "Cortana to Infinity do you read! The interference is gone but your suits transmitter's not strong enough."

John-117: "Move us up to the relay satellite."

Cortana: "Already done, go!"

John returns to the main platform.

Cortana: "Once we're on the satellite we should be able to respond to Infinity."

John-117: "The Covenant is moving towards the relay too."

Cortana (distorted): "This doesn't make any sense. Why would they care about a broadcast relay?"

John-117: "I'll handle them, you just find that control node."

John enters the next portal and comes out at the satellite.

John-117: "How soon until Infinity hits the gravity well?"

Cortana: "A minute or two max! The Covenant are pushing for something at the far end of the satellite."

John opens a door and heads up to the next area into a firefight. A damaged Phantom crashes into the Promethean's position, killing them all. John continues though various enemies and comes to a large outdoor staircase.

John-117: "Infinity! This is Sierra 117 of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. Do you copy?"

John watches as the satellite echos his message.

John-117: "Infinity! Do you read?"

The satellite ominously starts to rise. The Covenant and Prometheans cease fighting and turn to watch.

Cortana: "Chief… Chief let go of the contacts!"

John lets go and unholsters his rifle.

John-117: "Find us an exit."

Cortana: "Don't wait around on my account!"

John vaults over the wall to his left and takes cover as the satellite releases a sonic wave, knocking over Prometheans and Covenant alike. A small platform descends from the satellite, and it opens to reveal the Ur-Didact. He stands and flexes as his warrior armor forms over his body.

Ur-Didact: "So fades the great harvest of my betrayal."

He waves his hand over the Knights and their lighting changes from blue to orange as they reprogram while the Sangheili bow down to him.

Ur-Didact: "Even these beasts recognized what you were oblivious to, Human. Your nobility has blinded you as ever.

John stands and levels his assault rifle as his cover desintegrates. The Didact telekinetikly grabs him and pulls him over.

Ur-Didact: "The Librarian left little to chance, didn't she? Turning my own guardians – my own world – against me. But what hubris… to believe she could protect her pets from me forever. If you have not mastered even these primitives, then Man has not attained the Mantle. Your ascendants may yet be prevented. Time was your ally, Human, but now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners… have returned."

The Didact's helmet closes over his face.

Didact: "This tomb… is now yours."

​John is thrown against a pillar and tumbles to the ground. He struggles to get up.The Didact disappears into the satellite.

Cortana: "Slipspace rupture! Chief, Move!"

John runs as the satellite vanishes. Cut to black.

Fade from black. John wakes up in the rubble.

Cortana: "Chief, please! We have to go! That Didact, he manipulated Infinity's signal to get us to release him. Get up!"

John starts to get up and sees the Slipspace portal where the satellite used to be.

John-117: "What's happening?"

Cortana: "Moving the satellite into slipspace destablized the core!"

Two Phantoms collide and crash opposite each other. John shields himself from the blast.

Cortana: "The Didact's leaving. We have to find a portal out of here before the whole network collapses!"

The portal opens on a barren cliff and John speeds out on the Ghost, heading for the edge.

Cortana: "Whoa, cowboy!"

John swerves the Ghost sideways, swings out of his seat, and kicks himself away from it.He watches as the alien craft tumbles over the edge and explodes.

Cortana: "Chief, there!"

John looks up as the Infinity slowly emerges from the clouds and passes over them, strange electricity ripples over the ship.

Del Rio: "Mayday! Mayday! This is the Captain of the UNSC Infinity, we're encountering an unknown gravimetric disturbance. We are without power and are on a collision course with an unidentified forerunner planet!"

John turns and looks as the ship descends to the jungle canopy.

John-117: "Track its descent."

Cortana: "Marking. Impact predicted 77.8 kilometers due north."

All of a sudden the Didact's cryptum rises into the air behind John. It scans the the area and boosts towards the jungle.

It is strange to note that even when the Prometheans are blue, their weapons remain orange.

This is the first Halo level ever to have lava, although it may just be orange hard light.

At the Eurogamer Expo, 343i showed gameplay footage of this level. You can find the video here. (footage of this level in particular starts around the 14:00 mark.)

As noted in the transcript, Jul 'Mdama appears in this level, when the Elites bow down to the Didact, he utters the word "Didact," though it is easy to miss if one is not paying close attention. This is presumably how Cortana knew his name even though the Didact never mentioned it.